NFL And The Use Of Computer Chips

The idea of placing a computer chip inside the game ball to measure air pressure is a gem of an idea. Isn’t it? But the main question is can the NFL find a way to implement it and achieve the most out of it in the near future? The answer is not really!

In terms of the availability of the required technology, there is still a bit of a quarrel between the ESPN reports and NFL VP Dean Blandino. Blandino has stated that despite the fact that the chip technology is available, he thinks it won’t be very useful in measuring the pressure of the football. It has been used to monitor the pressure of air in car tires for some time now. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that such a device exists that can be placed within a football to measure the pressure the same way and alert the officials when the pressure is below 12.5 PSI or above 13.5 PSI.

According to the NFL officiating VP, the technology isn’t available in real time,so Blandino ensured that the same manual techniques of spot checking would be usedthis season too.As many know, the pressure of the football drops below the standard level during the games themselves, but because there are no real time updates, the chip technology appears to be a waste of time.

It is said that the main purpose of these chips are to determine the velocity of the ball, to know its exact location during kicks, and to collect other analytical data (outside of PSI readings of course). The idea of a computer chip has great potential to be prosperous for the game, but it fails to solve the ‘problem’ that came to light in the AFC championship game with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.